Love, Loss, and Changes
by y-in-flame
Summary: All Karin did was ask a simple question. She wasn't expecting Suigetsu to act the way he did. For Suigetsu...What if he thought leaving was one of the most stupidest things he'd ever done?
1. Chapter 1

"Do you have an original body structure?"

Suigetsu paused in drinking his water to glance over.

"Eh? What the hell brought that up?"

Karin crossed her arms.

"Just answer the question. Do you or don't you?"

He slouched against the wall and looked at her critically.

"And if I do?"

"Would you show me?"

"How do I know that I could trust you?"

Taken aback, she stepped backwards and fell, landing on one of the seats in the guard tower.

"Why wouldn't you be able to trust me?"

He snorted.

"Even if I did have a different and original body structure, not saying that I do, I wouldn't show you because you'd go fawning off to Sasuke who would beat the crap outta me. Not something I'm willing to risk my life over, sorry."

She slumped in the chair.

"How could I prove that I'm trustworthy?"

He stopped slurping to look at her incredulously.

"Why do you want to know so badly?"

"I'm curious."

Sniggering, he pushed off the wall and sat down cross legged on the floor.

"Curiosity kills the redheaded cat sometimes, Karin."

"Don't make jokes like that when I'm being serious with you."

Suigetsu growled.

"I'm not joking either. I don't want to show you."

She jumped up in triumph.

"So you _do_ have one!"

He sighed and put his head in his hand.

"Damn. What do I have to do to make you shut up?"

"Show me."

"How did I know you'd say that? Why again?"

"Because I asked nicely and I didn't beat you up about it."

He eyed her.

"Those are some crappy reasons."

"Would you like Sasuke to come back to find you mixed together with mud into a slush puddle on the ground?"

He quickly put his hands up.

"Come near me with dirt and die."

She smiled, making him wary.

"Show me."

He sighed again, standing up. He knew she would mix him with dirt without hesitation and that he'd be coughing up mud for a week, so he just figured it was easier to show her rather than chance his life.

"Fine. I'll show you. Just..."

He growled and put his hand behind his head, glaring at the floor. She looked at him curiously.

"Just what?"

"Don't laugh."

Karin sighed in exasperation.

"I won't laugh. Just hurry up."

He put his hands together, running through a complex series of hand-signs so fast she couldn't follow.

"Don't tell me to hurry up. I'll get there when I'm good and ready."

He took a deep breath and formed the last sign. A mist formed around his feet and slowly spiralled up his legs, forming a complete cloud surrounding him and hiding his features from her. She watched as the mist slowly faded and she took in his appearance, gasping.

His hair was longer, falling down the length of his back, the majority of it pulled into a low ponytail, the rest falling forward to frame his face. It had lost some of the bluish tinge, instead taking on a silver colour. His eyes were no longer purple, but blue-green, and he still had that damn fang sticking out of his mouth. He grinned at her and she saw that his teeth were slightly longer and sharper than before. His face was elongated and she could see his ears poking out of his hair, angularly pointed at the tips. Her eyes trailed down his face to follow his arms down to his hands, watching as he flexed his fingers, the long claws filed to sharp points like his teeth. It was then that she took in his clothes.

He had arm guards from his elbows down to his wrists and bandages up his arms, wearing a silver vest with an upstanding collar lined with white fur. The vest was a coat with no sleeves, the hem trailing around the floor, black pants tucked into his mean looking black boots.

Once Karin had finished her inventory of Suigetsu's new appearance, she stepped closer to him, noticing that he was several inches taller than he normally was. She lifted her hand to his face, close enough for him to feel the heat but not actually touching him.

"Is this really what you look like?" She whispered.

He nodded, his strange eyes staring deep into hers.

"Why didn't you show this to anyone? Why haven't I seen you like this before?"

He laughed, and she shivered, feeling the deep voice was going to be her undoing.

"If Orochimaru had found that I was actually like this, more would have happened to me than what actually happened. Take a look at me, Karin. Really look."

Karin stepped back and closed her eyes, performing her jutsu. She opened her eyes and gasped.

"See? I couldn't let him have me."

She stepped closer to his chakra, shocked at the amount he had.

"But, how? You... you must be at least twice as strong as Sasuke! Why haven't you tried to defeat him yet?"

"It's not worth it. Sasuke isn't worth me blowing my cover."

"Cover?"

He shook his head.

"This is what I normally look like. I can't let anyone get a hold of me because of my unusual amount of chakra."

He stepped closer to her, his boots making a hollow sound echo off the wooden floorboards.

"I don't want anyone to know, Karin. There's a reason I don't keep friends. This is it. Give me away and I will have to kill you."

She gasped as he stepped closer.

"Why? Tell me why you think I would tell anyone?"

He moved closer, making her step back and hit the wall.

"Revenge? Personal gain? There are many more reasons, Karin."

She squeaked as he finally closed the distance between them and took her chin between his forefinger and thumb.

"I can make sure you won't tell anyone, to keep your life intact and your heart still beating. Would you like that way out, Karin?"

Her eyes filled with tears. As they spilled over, he brushed them away impatiently.

"Yes or no? Easy question, easy answer. Life? Or death?"

They stared into each other's eyes for an age until Karin spoke.

"Life."

He smirked.

"I knew you'd see it my way."

Without warning, he placed his lips on hers, gently closing his teeth on her bottom lip. She gasped again and he took the opportunity to invade her mouth with his tongue. Suddenly, she felt a burning sensation on the back of her tongue. She groaned with the pain until he bit her lip again, harder. Karin pulled back but he followed her. She hit the wall with a thud, trying to control her cry of pain as the burning subsided and faded.

Suigetsu pulled away and looked at her with amusement. Before her eyes, he reverted back to his familiar self, smirking at her.

"Problem, Karin?"

Suddenly the door opened, and Sasuke stepped through.

"What are you two doing?"

Suigetsu smirked at her one last time before turning away.

"Karin hit her head on the wall. I was checking to make sure she was ok. It wouldn't be good if our sensor was out of action."

Sasuke nodded.

"Good thinking. Karin, make sure you won't hinder any operations because you're injured. Rest."

She sank to the floor and nodded. Sasuke glanced around the room again and left. She looked up at Suigetsu.

"You're a bastard. What did you do to me?"

He grinned wide at her and she instantly remembered his longer, sharper teeth.

"It's a seal I learned off Orochimaru."

"How could you learn a seal off him?" She spat, angry at herself for thinking of his eyes when he looked down at her. He laughed, making her remember his deep voice.

"I should correct myself. I didn't learn it. I stole it."

"How?"

"Orochimaru was an idiot. He wrote all his seals out and swallowed them. It wasn't hard to dig him open and get some of them out. In the morning, he thought it was a bad dream."

Her eyes widened. He sat down on one of the chairs and stared at her with malicious glee.

"What's wrong, Karin?"

She lifted her hand and pointed at him shakily.

"You- you're a monster!"

He shrugged, nonchalant, but she was sure that she had seen a flash of hurt in his eyes. His eyes closed as he continued speaking.

"I do what I have to do to survive. Anyone would do the same thing."

She stayed silent, still staring at him in horror.

"Wouldn't you? If you knew that if anyone knew who you were, they would kill you. The only way to protect myself was to use any means necessary. You'd do the same thing."

"H-how do you know that?"

He opened his eyes and glared at her.

"The will to survive is strong in everyone."

In a flash he was in front of her. She shrank against the wall and he slammed his hands either side of her head.

"If you had the choice of living or being captured and experimented on until you were nothing more than a husk of the person you used to be, which one would you choose?"

She didn't answer. He sighed and moved away from her.

"I knew I shouldn't have shown you. This is always what happens."

He glanced back at her.

"You won't be able to tell anyone. That seal will prevent you from trying. Every time you do, or try to, it ages you ten years."

He turned away and left the room, leaving her sitting against the wall. After a few seconds she heard murmured voices. She crawled towards the door and opened it a crack. Suigetsu was in the other room talking to Sasuke.

"I can't stay."

"Why this time?"

Suigetsu walked around the room, picking up his sword and strapping it onto his back, turning around and glancing into the crack where Karin was. He looked directly into her eyes.

"Karin."

Sasuke sighed quietly, sitting down on a chair.

"You always have a problem with Karin. Why is anything different now?"

"If I stay here much longer, I will kill her."

It was said with such conviction that the room was silent. Karin put her hand over her mouth, tears filling her eyes again. It can't have been that much of a secret. He was powerful enough to destroy Sasuke, he'd be powerful enough to stay with them.

"Any chance of containing yourself?"

Suigetsu turned away from the door, shaking his head.

"This time, I really mean it. She won't last more than three days."

The room was silent as Suigetsu turned to leave.

"You know I don't like you much, Sasuke. And I like Karin even less. I can't continue travelling with you anymore."

He walked to the door and opened it.

"If you ever need me, don't."

With that, he was gone. Karin wiped her eyes quickly and spun around to the windows, running to see him leave. She watched as he walked away. When he was far enough out of range for either Sasuke or Karin to normally sense his chakra, he turned. She watched as he changed in the moonlight, long hair glinting. He smiled back at her and she shook her head. When she looked back at him, he was gone.

She put her hand against the window, as if to reach through it and bring him back, unsure of why she felt that way. The door opened and shut. She became aware of Sasuke behind her.

"What did you do this time?"

She turned, pushing her glasses up.

"I did nothing."

Sasuke's hand came up and gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"It has to be something more than usual. He wouldn't leave if you did nothing."

She ripped her head from his grip, grimly surprised to find out that she felt nothing more than disgust for him.

"I. Did. Nothing."

She glared balefully at him for a few seconds more, then stepped around him and walked out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Three years later...

Karin glanced down at the side of the road and sighed. Bending down, she picked the tiny white flower and added it to the handful she already had. These flowers were her favourite; they were all she had to remind herself of... him. Sighing again, she stood up and continued walking deeper into the forest. He had left them, all those years ago, without giving a proper reason for it. The team had fallen apart, and fallen quickly.

Sasuke had reverted back to Konoha. Juugo had left her when he found the birds were much more interesting than she was. As far as she knew, she wasn't in any bingo book, and none of the hidden villages were out to find her. She was a sometime local in three of the surrounding towns, buying produce from each of them once a week. Today, she was burdened down with enough to last for the rest of the month. She had heard rumours of a snow storm hitting the region and wanted to be prepared.

She was heading for the guard house they had occupied long ago. Secluded and out of the way. Any bounty hunters could search for days and not find her. She slowly trudged through the trees, following a map she made in her mind from walking through again and again. Soon enough, her home appeared through the trees and she sighed quietly in relief.

As always, she glanced down the path to see the exact spot where she had last seen her almost forgotten teammate. Shaking her head clear of the memories, she moved inside and deposited the food on the kitchen table, unwrapping her scarf from around her neck and heading towards the bathroom, intent on a long, hot shower. She turned the shower on and slowly unbuttoned her shirt, waiting for the water to heat up.

She was about to step into the shower when there was a gurgle along the line. She froze. Mesmerised, she watched as a sudden jet of water blew out of the shower head and sprayed across the room. She was instantly drenched, but it went unnoticed. The water on the floor started taking shape, and she gasped as Suigetsu's head emerged from the water.

He was in his transformed state, and she could see him eyeing her as the rest of his body formed, but she ignored it. He finally formed properly and stood in front of her with his arms crossed.

"Karin."

Ignoring her state of dress, or lack thereof, she reached out to touch his shoulder, rubbing her fingers over it.

"You're real."

He smirked.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

She shook her head and slowly turned around to grab a towel and wrap it around herself.

"I've had too many delusions. I needed to check."

She didn't get a response from behind her and she turned to see him standing with his mouth slightly open.

"Delusions? How long have you been alone for?"

She shrugged, crossing her arms.

"A year. Maybe two. We kind of fell apart after you left."

He nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I heard. Why haven't you done anything?"

She was instantly angry. Angry at him for deserting her. Angry at him for revealing his secret to her, despite her asking, and forcing the seal onto her. Angry for the dreams of him that made her wake up panting and sweating like she'd just run a marathon against the famed green beast of Konoha.

"What was I supposed to do?! Give myself up to one of the hidden villages and be imprisoned for life!? Sorry, not how I want to spend the rest of my days."

He pinned her to the wall faster than she could blink.

"That wasn't what I meant. Why didn't you try to contact me?"

She glared at him.

"Do you really want me to answer that? You left without a way for me to find you! How was I supposed to know how to get in contact with you when you'd disappeared?!"

He pulled back with a slightly shocked look in his strange eyes. Then his gaze hardened.

"There are ways, Karin!"

"Well, I didn't know!"

He growled, and it was her signal to stop. She bit her tongue and kept quiet. His eyes searched hers angrily until he was sure she wouldn't send a nasty comment his way. Releasing her, he stepped back and crossed his arms as she glowered at him.

"Get dressed. I'll wait for you out there."

He walked out the door, leaving her simmering with anger.

After five minutes, she left the bathroom, wrapped in a thick robe to ward off the approaching cool weather. She could feel it, and being sprayed by Suigetsu when he came out of the drain didn't help. She moved out into the large living area and stopped, hearing sounds from the kitchen. As she entered the doorway, she saw Suigetsu standing at the bench next to the kettle.

He'd changed his appearance back to his normal self, which she was half glad for. His voice was much deeper in his full version and if he ever turned seductive she didn't think she'd be able to hold him back. He glanced over to her.

"Glad to see you dressed."

She shrugged, ignoring the look in his eye when he looked over the robe with a disgusted look on his face.

"Why do you wear that?"

She glanced down at it.

"What's wrong with it?"

He snorted.

"It's old, and it makes you look weird."

She shrugged again.

"It's comfortable. And if it does the job of making anybody I see look straight past me and ignore me, then I think it's done a good job."

He was on her in a heartbeat.

"Did someone do something to you?"

She looked into his purple eyes as they morphed to blue-green. The expression on his slightly elongated face was fierce as he gripped her arms.

"Tell me!"

She shook her head.

"Nothing happened."

He glared at her.

"But something did happen."

Statement, not a question. She looked back up at him and felt the tears return. They reminded her of the night Suigetsu left, when he brushed them off her face with a rough hand. She quickly reached up and wiped them off with the robe, breaking away from him and walking towards the sink and gripping it.

"Nothing. Happened."

She felt a gentle hand on her back and she shivered. It flinched away, and she glanced over to see him standing beside her.

"Please, Karin. I just want to help you now."

She took a step back. And fainted.


	3. Chapter 3

When she woke next, she was in her bed. She could feel Suigetsu's arms around her, but what scared her most was that she could feel skin on skin. The bare skin of his chest on the bare skin of her back. She squeaked and looked down. Her robe was crumpled on the floor and so were his clothes. She felt her face heat up uncomfortably and she whimpered when she was suddenly reminded of the last time somebody had gotten close to her.

She felt Suigetsu shift behind her and she stilled as his voice sounded out groggily.

"Karin? What are you doing?"

"N-nothing."

She hoped he didn't notice the stutter but wasn't surprised when he did.

"What's wrong?"

When she didn't answer, he got up onto one elbow and leaned over her shoulder.

"Karin, I need you to tell me. If you don't, I can't stay. I can't be around you if you're going to shy away from me when I get close to you."

She didn't move for a few seconds, then leant over the side of the bed and grabbed the robe off the floor.

"What are you doing?"

She covered herself and stood up.

"Wait here for a few minutes, ok?"

He nodded slowly, watching as she left the room. Making as little noise as possible, Karin moved into the kitchen and quickly started packing a basket full of food. She'd go, and not come back until she was sure Suigetsu had left. A noise came from behind her and she whirled around. He was standing in the doorway, glaring at her.

"What are you doing now?"

She turned back to the basket.

"Leaving. I can't stay here."

"Why?"

He was right behind her. She shivered slightly; his presence was chilling. Her voice wavered as she replied.

"You're... here."

He snorted.

"Yes. I am here. Thank you for finally noticing."

His voice dripped sarcasm and she flinched. She leaned over and gripped the bench with both hands, trying to control herself. His voice softened.

"Karin?"

She opened her mouth to speak but felt a sharp stabbing pain in her abdomen. She cried out and almost dropped to her knees. The same feeling came back and she fell to the floor, panting with the pain. She slowly pressed the spot, grimacing with the added pressure. Suigetsu hovered in front of her.

"What's wrong? I can't help you if you don't tell me. And don't just tell me it's 'that time of the month'."

He crossed his arms as he stared down at her. She could only see his feet, still seated as she was on the floor. She looked up and saw his expression; not pretty. She held out her hand and he grabbed it, pulling her up to stand in front of him. As she straightened, the pain came back and she hunched over. Suddenly she was in his arms and being dumped on her bed again. She curled around her stomach, whimpering quietly. She felt the bed dip behind her and his hand rub her arm.

After a few minutes, she uncurled slightly as the pain dissipated and she finally relaxed. He moved forward to hover over her.

"What was that? And if you say 'nothing', you will be harmed, I swear. I'm not putting up with that."

She slowly, carefully moved to stare up at him. And sighed.

"Alright."

She turned her head away and closed her eyes.

"This has to be the most shameful, embarrassing time of my life."

He waited, but nothing more came from her. She breathed deeply and exhaled.

"After Sasuke left... After Juugo left... I was alone. The villages around here are small, but helpful. It had been six months since I saw either of the other two when I met this guy. He said he loved me, couldn't live without me."

Suigetsu snorted and a small grin worked its way onto Karin's face. Then it faded as she continued.

"I didn't fall for it. After all, jailors are tougher than that. After a few months of his idiocy, I finally decided to say yes, just to get him to stop the public humiliation of serenades as I walked down the street. Everything was fine for a few months and I eventually started to like him. We were the star couple of the village. Then, one night, I'm on my way to meet him when I hear a noise from an alleyway I was passing."

"Please don't tell me you walked straight in there unprotected?"

She laughed a bitter laugh.

"No I didn't. I walked up the other side of the building and turned my sensor on. It was him... with some village girl."

Her throat tightened and she found it hard to speak.

"They were enjoying themselves immensely, although I now wonder why they never went back to his place. He boasted how great it was so many times."

Her eyes were still closed, but tears started to leak from under her eyelids.

"I figured I could ignore it, since as of that moment, our relationship was over. But soon he started to wonder why I ignored him, why I stopped going to that village, why he could never find me... Then one day, he did."

Her hands moved up to cover her eyes, wiping the moisture away as she continued in a shaky voice.

"Him and his group of friends cornered me. They tied my hands to a stake in the middle of a clearing in the forest. I couldn't do anything. Then, they started beating me, punching me, kicking me. Then _he_ pulled out a knife. They all thought he was so cool, up until the point where he stabbed me with it. They all panicked and ran, him too. He dropped the knife, and left me there to die."

She broke down completely.

Suigetsu couldn't do anything for a few seconds. He didn't understand why such morons would pick on an unarmed woman. He glanced at her shaking body and wrapped his arms around her, lying down and pulling her close.

"Shh. It's ok now."

She turned in his arms and buried her face in his neck. He had to ask the question though.

"How are you still alive?"

She sniffed, pulling herself back together and pushing back from him to wipe her face.

"An old hermit was walking through the forest when he found me. I have him to thank. He took me back to his house in the forest and bandaged me up. He stayed by my side for weeks until I was strong and well enough to leave."

"If you're healed, how come that happened before?"

She shook her head.

"I don't know.

He put his chin on top of her head.

"Where is the hermit now?"

She felt a fresh batch of tears coming.

"H-He died... a few months ago. He was the nicest man I've ever met and no one will miss him but me."

He sighed.

"You won't have to dwell on his memory anymore. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

She didn't quite understand, but was too tired from all the shock his sudden appearance caused and the pain from a stupid encounter from a few years ago, that she lapsed into a fitful sleep. Suigetsu held her as she dreamed; staring down at the pale woman he used to know. His gaze hardened as he thought of her story and his grip tightened around her.

"He's going to pay."


	4. Chapter 4

Karin woke up the next morning with a start. She rolled over to find the bed empty and she sighed. Good. She was alone, and that meant that Suigetsu hadn't come back like she thought he had. And since he hadn't come back, that meant that she had kept her story to herself and hadn't moaned and complained and embarrassed herself like her dream suggested.

Karin sighed again. She wanted to stay in bed all day and not have to do anything. She was delightfully warm, but knew that the cold weather was approaching and had things to do before it hit. She pulled herself out of bed and wrapped her robe around herself tighter, then froze. She could hear sounds coming from the kitchen, _cooking_ sounds. Her hand flew to her mouth and she almost started crying.

He _wasn't_ a dream. He _was_ here. And he _was in her kitchen!_

When she finally worked up the courage to move outside and see if he really was in the guardhouse, Karin slowly sidled out of the doorway and stopped, gazing across the lounge room. Suigetsu's sword was leaning against the opposite wall. And it was clean, and shiny. From what she remembered, the only time Suigetsu's sword was that clean was directly after he used it on somebody. She narrowed her eyes and moved quietly into the kitchen. He was standing with his back to the doorway and she could hear the sound of sizzling coming from in front of him. She shuffled forward and ducked as a fork came flying over his shoulder and impaled itself above her head. She gasped and glared at him as he turned around.

"That was unnecessary!"

He shrugged, smirking. He crossed his arms and studied her, smirk disappearing and a barely hidden concerned look played in his eyes.

"Are you ok?"

She looked away from him.

"I can't believe I told you that."

He crossed the room and held her arms gently.

"Karin, look at me."

She raised her head unwillingly, staring into his eyes.

"I'm glad you told me. I plan to stay here for a while, with you."

She started shaking her head, pushing him away.

"Why are you saying this now? When you left, you said I wouldn't last three days."

He sighed; he'd forgotten about that. He leaned down to look deep into her eyes.

"You have to believe me, Karin, I didn't mean that. I needed to get out. I showed you what I am," he morphed to show her, still staring deep into her eyes, "and I didn't trust you. Now I know I can. The seal I used on you would inform me whenever you let my secret out."

She dropped her head, unwanted tears in her eyes.

"I never told anyone." She said softly.

He nodded.

"I know."

They remained quiet until Karin spoke again, her voice even softer than before.

"You said you liked me less than Sasuke."

His breath caught. He was now confronted with the thing he wanted her to forget the most. He sighed; this wasn't going to be easy.

"Karin... look. I needed to get out. And I couldn't do that without a good reason. You hurt me that night and I used you as an excuse to leave."

"Then why would you come back?"

He paused. He didn't have a good enough answer for her. What he had would not satisfy the sad curiosity that she was showing. When he didn't reply, she breathed in a shaky breath.

"Well. The guardhouse is yours now. I know I'm not wanted or needed."

She stepped back. He put his hands out to stop her but she evaded him.

"Enjoy your life. Think of me, someday, and remember."

She stood watching him and he saw the tears falling and was powerless to stop them. She spun around and was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

It took Suigetsu about five minutes to realise that she was gone and gone for good if he didn't do something. When the thought rocketed into his head, he cast around for his sword and strapped it to his back. After quickly checking through the guardhouse to make sure she wasn't in any of the rooms, he charged outside and stopped. It was snowing.

He started panicking. He looked around and found her robe lying on the ground nearby. His heart skipped a beat. If she had dressed herself, then put the robe back on for warmth, then she wasn't in as much danger as he thought she was. But if she just got up and wrapped the robe around herself and took off, she was in big trouble.

He pushed all lecherous thoughts out of his head and focused on the problem at hand. Assuming she was still weak and possibly naked, he had to find her as soon as possible. It was cold and getting colder as the snow fell.

Karin continued running. She'd left the robe behind and kept going in her old uniform. Her energy was fading and crying didn't help. It took away precious breath that she needed in order to escape and she couldn't go as far as she needed. She finally stopped, leaning against a tree, panting. She turned and almost sighed with relief; she couldn't see the guardhouse anymore.

A twig snapped behind her and she whirled around. Three men were standing behind her, and she recognised one of them as the friend of the guy who stabbed her. Her breath caught.

"We've been looking for you, redheaded bitch."

She couldn't move as the other two circled around behind her. The man in front continued talking.

"Last night, a murder was committed."

She started hyperventilating.

"It was-"

"Don't say it!"

He stopped and looked at her. She struggled to keep herself upright.

"Well, well, well. It seems you know who died. No wonder. The man who did it scrawled out a message on _his _wall. Do you know what it said?"

The men behind her grabbed her arms, roughly pulling them behind her. The man in front continued speaking, ignoring her captors.

"It said, 'Revenge for Karin'. That's you, isn't it?"

Dread filled her. Suigetsu must have snuck out during the night and killed her tormenter. She dropped to her knees. Because of him, she was done for. The man started speaking again, his voice filled with satisfaction.

"It seems that you know your fate. But you're making it too easy. Far, far too easy."

He pulled a knife from his boot, throwing it from hand to hand as he stepped closer. She hung her head, her long hair falling around her face like a curtain. He gripped it and yanked her head up. She muffled her sound of pain as he sneered in her face.

"You seem to like your long hair. Allow me to show my appreciation for it."

He gripped a strand of her hair with his left hand and swung the knife. It cut through her hair so quickly that the weight of it disappearing made her head lean to the right and his knife slashed across the side of her neck. She ripped her hands from the men behind her and held them to her neck. As she pulled her hand away, the blood flowed freely. The men were standing around her in disbelief.

She stared at her hands, covered in blood as she started to go numb from shock. Tears fell down her face as she lifted her head and screamed.

Suigetsu stopped dead when he heard it. He morphed before he realised and was speeding as fast as he could towards her voice.

Karin held her hands to her neck as she cried, trying to stop the blood from pumping out. The blade had missed her windpipe and her spinal cord, but it had cut deep and blood was soaking her clothes. The man who cut her stepped forward.

"Shut up, bitch!"

He backhanded her across the face and she went sprawling, hands still gripping her neck. They looked at each other and he raised the knife.

"Time to end this."

He raised the knife high and Karin squeezed her eyes shut, still sobbing from the wound as it made itself known. After a few seconds, nothing happened and she opened her eyes and tried to focus on the dim figures in front of her. She blinked a few times and her vision cleared slightly. Someone tall, with long silver hair was standing in front of her with her stabber in the air.

She closed her eyes, struggling to open them again. Someone was in front of her, tapping her face. He was saying her name, she realised. It was Suigetsu. She smiled up at him, lifted her bloodied hand onto his face and pulled it down, kissing him as hard as she could while she was still able. His hand came up to grip hers and she fell back, hitting the ground. She tried as hard as she could to focus on him, and tried to speak, but her voice sounded so far away.

"I... couldn't stop... thinking... about you... all this time..."

Suigetsu watched in disbelief and detached shock as her eyes closed and her smile faded, leaving him staring at a deathly pale redhead. He felt almost empty as he lifted his hand shakily and tapped her face again.

"No... Karin. Please, don't leave. I came back for you, please don't leave. I love you! You can't just leave me!"

He bent over her, tears falling from his blue-green eyes. He almost couldn't imagine life without her; even through three years, he had always known that she was alive, at least. He lifted his head. They were in the middle of the clearing with three dead bodies lying spreadeagled across the ground. He wiped his eyes, and slowly picked Karin up. She was limp, and he almost collapsed with the pain of loss. He took a step forward and stopped, hearing something. He turned his head and it became clearer. The river.

He moved as quickly as he could through the trees, trying to get to the water as fast as he could. The sound of water running became louder and louder as he neared and he hurtled through the trees, dodging and pounding through so he could get there quicker.

When he reached the water, Suigetsu gently lowered Karin to the ground. Her clothes were almost entirely covered in blood. He glanced at the water and made up his mind. There was a chance she would survive, he had only a few minutes at most before she faded completely and he needed to act fast.

He quickly peeled her shirt off, pulling her shoes and shorts off, throwing them all to the side. He didn't worry about his clothes, only his sword and her robe did he throw aside. Then he picked her up and walked into the water. The river was almost two metres wide and a metre deep. He moved into the deepest part and sat down, holding Karin's prone form to his chest.

He started to concentrate, a silver glow appearing around them both. He became slightly transparent as he moved his chakra outside his body, holding it above him in a glowing sphere. The water around him solidified, and the still running water around it crept up over the ice and slid up his arms, grounding him. A tendril of the sphere leaked out and he directed it towards Karin, letting it touch her lightly on the forehead. Another tendril spun out, hurtling down towards her neck, disappearing inside the wound. Karin slowly started breathing and her eyelids were fluttering.

"Sui...getsu?"

"Shh. Don't move."

She tried to sit up, but he tightened his grip on her, water still moving up his arms to his shoulders.

"Don't move. I almost lost you, I'm not losing you again. You move, and my concentration will disappear."

She settled for putting her head on his shoulder. He continued to heal her, speaking softly.

"Thank you. For holding on."

She only had the strength to nod her head. He slowly moved his chakra to her stomach, pushing deep inside her old wound. He found the remnants of scar tissue and healed it, and she breathed a small sigh of relief. He slowly pulled the chakra sphere back into himself; it was half what it was when he first pulled it out. As soon as it re-entered his body, he exhaled and almost fell backwards in the water as the water wrapping itself around his arms dropped and the ice thawed and flowed away. He stopped himself in time, still holding Karin close. She had fallen asleep, completely exhausted.

Hand shaking, he carefully brushed her short hair away from her face. It was only short on one side, and the end was jagged. He sighed, lifting her out of the icy water. It was starting to snow heavier, and he needed to get her back into the warmth. She stirred slightly and he glanced down at her.

"Karin? If you can hear me, I need to take you back. Nod once if that's alright."

To his relief, she nodded once.

"Ok. I need to put you down for a few seconds. I have your robe; you dropped it. Nod again if it's alright."

She nodded once again and he placed her gently on the ground, letting her cling to him. She wasn't focusing properly, her gaze bleary as he slowly reached down and picked up her robe, throwing it around her shoulders. He picked her up again, bridal style, glancing down at her as her eyes closed.

The last thing she noticed was trees flashing past, and strong arms holding her close.


	6. Chapter 6

When Karin woke next, Suigetsu was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to where she was lying on the bed. She tried to sit up, but found that she wasn't able to. She started panicking until his voice floated to her.

"Stay completely still. You are in absolutely no danger, but I will be if you don't keep still."

She looked over at him. His eyes were closed and his morphed face was serene, but when she looked down at his hands, her eyes widened in horror.

"Before you start screaming and freaking out, let me tell you. You lost a lot of blood. Right now, I'm making replacement blood for you."

She didn't want to continue looking, but her eyes became riveted to his hands. Blood was spiralling out of his palms into the air, forming a pulsating sphere of blood. As she watched, horrifyingly fascinated, the sphere lifted up towards her and disappeared into her stomach. She gasped; the feeling was indescribable.

She closed her eyes, trying to return her breathing to normal. When she opened them, Suigetsu was lying on his back on the floor. She tried to lift herself up and managed it this time, raising herself slowly off the bed and moving onto the floor to sit next to him. He opened his eyes slightly and peered up at her.

"You alright?"

She tried to talk properly, but whispering was she could manage.

"Yes. Thank you."

He nodded, eyes closed. She lifted her hand to her neck, tracing the thin line on the side.

"What did you do?"

He opened his eyes, lifting his hand to touch her neck.

"If I was strong enough, I'd show you. Right now, I'm so drained."

"Do you want me to do anything?"

He eyed her as he struggled to sit up.

"Keep safe. I don't want to almost die again."

He looked away. She sat there as his words sunk in.

"You almost died?"

He glanced at her and sighed.

"Yes. I suppose you didn't hear me yelling when you passed out from blood loss."

A haze of memories played in her head, but she couldn't recognise any of them.

"No. What did you say?"

He turned so he was sitting in front of her.

"I said, don't leave me. I said, I came back for you. I said..."

He moved closer with each sentence until they were almost touching lips. She tried to control her breathing.

"I. Love. You."

Her eyes widened as he took the plunge, capturing her lips with his, holding her tight against him. She lifted her arms up around his neck, pulling him in and he fell, landing on the floor next to her. He knew she was still weak from her injury, and he wasn't much better. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted, shifting them both onto the bed. He caressed her cheek as he kissed her gently.

"You won't be so happy with me when you find out what I've been doing while you've been asleep."

It killed the mood. She pushed him back, looking him in the eye.

"What have you done?" She was still whispering.

"I've been packing. I'm not going to allow you to stay here."

As expected, she hit him, rolling him off her and getting off the bed to get away. He followed her out of the room as she stomped into the living area. She swung around and he blocked.

"You can't make up my decisions for me. I make my own way. You came back for me, you say. I didn't go anywhere to find you."

Her tirade was made less scary by the fact that she was still whispering. When none of her words made an impact, she started whispering more ferociously and he tried to contain his amusement.

"I didn't try to find you after you left. I think that says everything perfectly."

She was pressed up against the wall quicker than she could think. Suigetsu levelled his face with hers, expression mild.

"I would quit while I'm ahead if I were you. The only reason I'm deciding to move you is to keep you safe. Obviously you need it. You've been stabbed and had your throat cut. If that doesn't say something about the locals around here then I don't know what does."

She kept quiet, staring at him. He sighed.

"I have a place, you know. It's high in the mountains, surrounded by water. Nobody knows it's there."

She looked a bit dubious. He grinned at her expression.

"I've never had any doorknockers. Besides, there's a cottage down the mountain near a village. That's where I pretend to live. You can't get any safer than that."

She was almost won over, he could tell. One last little push.

"Add to that, it is nowhere near Konoha."

"Done. I'm coming with you."

He smiled and kissed her gently.

"I knew you'd come around."

She rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. When do we leave?"

"Well, since it's about two in the morning, and I need to sleep after healing you... We'll leave at daybreak."

She nodded slightly.

"Anything I need to get?"

He shook his head, moving away from the wall so she was free.

"Nope. I've organised everything. All you have to do is build your energy."

She nodded wordlessly, and took a step forward. He quickly stepped in and caught her.

"Oops. I don't think you're supposed to be awake. You're still very weak."

She didn't have a chance to tell him to leave her alone because he lifted her up into his arms and carried her into her bedroom, placing her gently down on the bed in front of him. He crossed his arms and looked down at her.

"I hope you realise that someday, I'm going to be doing that, and it will be for real."

She couldn't hide her blush from him and he smirked. He climbed into the bed on the other side of her and curled himself protectively around her.

"But don't worry. It won't be for a while. It'll take at least a week for me to reach my full potential again, and you need to heal completely. Add to that, we need to leave here, so don't expect anything anytime soon."

She blushed harder.

"I can assure you that I wasn't thinking about any of that."

He chuckled quietly.

"Go to sleep Karin."

All through these proceedings, from before Karin even woke up, Suigetsu's clone was sitting on the roof, coloured eyes glittering in the darkness.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: It has been a _really_ long time since I was on here. Here's to finally updating something! I do not own Naruto.**

* * *

><p>When Karin woke next, the room was far brighter than it had been and Suigetsu, once again, was not in the bed or in the room with her. She put her glasses on and looked at the clock on the wall, gasping and sitting bolt upright. It was almost ten and he hadn't woken her. She stood up and quickly sat down again, head spinning. A noise sounded at the doorway and she saw him enter. He was immediately next to her.<p>

"What's the problem?"

She started speaking and found that she didn't have to whisper, but her voice was slightly scratchy.

"Nothing's wrong. I stood up too quickly that's all."

He nodded.

"Alright. Stand up slowly this time. We need to leave soon."

She nodded, grasping the bedpost and slowly pulling herself upright with it. Her head didn't spin and she managed to stand and take a step forward without falling over. She walked to the doorway and turned, putting her arms out with a grin.

"I did it."

He grinned back.

"So I saw. Congratulations."

He walked over to stand in front of her.

"Come into the kitchen. I made breakfast for you."

She halted when they reached the kitchen. Toast and eggs were arrayed across the table neatly, waiting for her. Her stomach grumbled and Suigetsu laughed.

"Sounds like you're hungry. Come on."

He led her to a chair and sat her down. She eyed the food cautiously.

"Is it edible? I remember you had no talent for food preparation at all."

He chuckled as he moved around the table to sit across from her.

"Don't worry. I learned. It's completely safe to eat."

To prove his point, he picked up a piece of toast, spooned an egg onto it and bit into it, taking almost half of it in an enormous mouthful. She watched with her mouth hanging open.

"That's disgusting."

Karin picked up her own piece of toast and ate it with better decorum than he did. They were finished inside of ten minutes and he shooed her out of the kitchen to go pack the rest of her gear together. She found her pack in the bottom of her wardrobe and quickly shoved all her spare clothes and necessary items into it. She lifted it onto her shoulders and walked out into the lounge room. Suigetsu was standing in front of two people she didn't recognise and she started to walk warily back into the room when they all spotted her at the same time. Suigetsu waved her over, grinning like crazy.

"Come here, Karin. I want you to meet me and me."

Right before her eyes, all three of them changed into the white haired, purple eyed Suigetsu she knew so well. She stared at them in shock. They all smirked at the same time, making her put her hand to her head and stagger backwards. All three rushed to her aid, picking her up and carefully placing her on the lounge. She opened her eyes to see three Suigetsu's staring at her in concern and she closed them again, groaning.

"If you don't get rid of the other two now, I'm going to pass out."

There was the sound of rustling clothing and Suigetsu grunted.

"You can open your eyes now."

She opened them to see an old man and woman standing next to Suigetsu. She watched as he created another clone, which changed its appearance to look like a young, dark-haired teenager. He grinned at her, the same time as his 'parents' did, each of them displaying different sets of teeth. She glanced at Suigetsu, who was organising the packs. None of them looked like him.

"What are they for?"

He glanced up.

"These three are going to go on ahead with our packs. We need to be burden free, so we're going to travel in the clothes we're wearing and only carry food. These guys can go faster than us at the moment so this is the best option."

She nodded slightly. The old woman moved forward, giving her a toothy grin as she picked Karin's pack off the ground like it weighed nothing and swung it onto her back. Karin moved to stop 'her', but stopped herself. The illusion of being old was convincing. Suigetsu came and stood beside her as the other two picked up the remaining backpacks and put them on.

"Right guys, don't go through any villages if you can help it. If you can't, try to act as inconspicuous as possible. I don't want you dying on me, alright?"

The three nodded. Suigetsu continued talking.

"Ok. Keep to the trees and don't attract unwanted attention, like bandits and such. If that does happen, you-" he pointed to the clone disguised as the old woman, "- drop the pack and fight as hard as you can. You other two continue on with the bags. Try not to forget any in the excitement. Clear?"

They nodded again and Suigetsu nodded back with satisfaction.

"Ok. You can go."

One by one they moved out the door. The one masquerading as the young man blew a kiss to Karin as he left and she blushed uncomfortably. Suigetsu just smirked, shaking his head.

"They all act like me and that's what I'd do."

He walked back into the kitchen and continued packing the remainder of the food into two bags. As soon as he finished, he checked the time.

"Ten past ten. Not too bad, I guess. Here. This one's yours."

He lifted the smaller bag and passed it to Karin. She looked at it warily.

"Don't worry, it's just bread. I have the heavier stuff."

She shrugged and pulled the bag onto her back. He followed her out into the lounge room, watching wordlessly as she turned slowly, staring at the room around her. She halted at one point and stepped forward, walking to the wall, putting her hand on it.

"Do you remember this, Suigetsu?"

She glanced at him and he sighed, nodding slowly.

"Yes. And I'm sorry."

"Will it ever come off?" She asked softly.

"No."

She dropped her head.

"I thought as much."

He stepped forward and put an arm around her shoulders.

"I was young and stupid, and I didn't think I would ever see you again. I thought it would be the best one for you."

She shook her head.

"Don't worry about it."

He squeezed her shoulders as they moved towards the door.

"Think about it this way, Karin. You got to kiss me."

Her fist swung around and hit his head, making her arm drenched with water. She left the guardhouse blushing furiously, followed by Suigetsu's laughter.

They set a moderately fast pace away from the guardhouse. Suigetsu had told her that it would take them two days at least to get back to his home. He had made it in a day with continuous running and three rest stops along the way. They would be travelling slower with more frequent rest stops. It was midday when Karin stopped to rest on a tree branch, panting. Suigetsu stopped next to her.

"You're out of shape. Have you been training at all since I left?"

She shook her head, too busy breathing to answer him properly. He shook his head and stilled, swearing after a few seconds. Without waiting for Karin to recover, he swung her into his arms and continued jumping.

"What are you doing?!"

She started kicking at him and he had trouble holding her. He stopped on another branch and dropped her, creating another clone, passing it his pack. He lifted Karin up and took her pack from her shoulder and passed it to the clone.

"Go on ahead to the first campsite. We'll meet you there. If it's occupied, hide the packs and kill yourself."

The clone nodded and jumped away. Karin watched it go with annoyance.

"What did you do that for? I was doing great carrying that."

Suigetsu turned to face her.

"I left two clones behind, one as me, one as you. Your lovely neighbours came to the guardhouse and killed them both."

She gasped in horror. He nodded grimly.

"We need to get going. They're two hours behind us and I want it to stay that way. They are civilians, but as of now, you technically are as well. I'll be setting the pace, and if I have to, I will carry you."

She didn't say anything. He eyed her.

"Can you continue?"

She hesitated, but nodded after a few seconds.

"Yes. But not for long. My stamina is low."

He nodded, swinging her back into his arms.

"Alright. I'll carry you as far as I am able. Hold onto your energy as best you can."

He pushed off from the branch and Karin held on tightly.


End file.
